wallpaper emo

Hello friends,

As I have mentioned before, I am a collector.  I have many objects that call my name, but none is as dear to me as my antique ribbon work.  If  I had a chance to gather up only one collection, you know, before the meteor hits or something,  it would be my ribbon work without a doubt.  Do you know what ribbon work is?  Well, if you don't mind indulging the scholar in me, refill your coffee and let me tell you a little bit.

Women have been adorning themselves and their clothing since time began.  I have no doubt that Eve, shortly after donning those well placed fig leaves, set out to jazz them up with some additional petals or leaves somehow.  During the first quarter of the 20th century, women had more time than in previous decades to spend making their world lovely (thanks Industrial Revolution), and pretty it up they did.  They began making intricate flowers out of silk ribbon and adorning garments and all manner of boudoir items with them.  Entire books and magazines were devoted to the art and craft of ribbon work, showing housewives how to adorn everyday items with ribbon. The craft became so popular, studios in France employed women to make rather ornate silk ribbon bouquets.   They would generally be put on a background of crinoline or buckram which could then be basted on garments after market, if you will.  It allowed the flowers to be removed if the garment needed to be cleaned.  Many of the leading department stores in the teens and 1920's carried the exquisite French imports which could then be added to your own garment if you didn't wish to make your own.  I presume that these stores probably carried some of the beautiful French vanity items which were also adorned with ribbon work.

While I am sure this is an exaggeration, it sometimes seems as though anything that didn't move got fancied up with ribbons and ribbon work.  It is these items that make my heart skip a beat.  Since being introduced to these 1920's treasures by a dear friend over 15 years ago, it has become my obsession quest to find and collect examples of it.  I shared some of my collection of powder patters a while back.  You can read about it here.  This morning, I took advantage of the nice light in my bedroom and shot photos of my collection of 1920's hats bearing ribbon designs.  In my next post, I will show them to you up close and personal, lots of pictures, not so much text, so come back and visit again.

Until next time,

Here's an interesting wallpaper site:

Herr Lutz J. Walter has been blockprinting for quite some time now and has completed reproduction papers for Friedrich Schiller's house (or should I say haus), and many more in Weimar. What makes Lutz's work especially interesting is that he not only does 18th century blocks, as one would expect, but also has ventured into the stuffed-felt brass work of 19th century cylinder printing. He has even done Art Nouveau and Bauhaus wallpapers. I worked with Lutz many years ago when Bernard Jacque suggested that  he could probably find an old-fashioned pile of machinery in the former East Germany that could polish a ground.....sure enough, he found it!

Below are some photos:

So, I began the process of finding cool graphics to make card that the lace could be wrapped around, making it easier to deal with and, naturally, PRETTIER to look at.  I had no idea how much lace I had until I started trying to corral it.  And this, mind you, is only the yardage, not the short little pieces or the very large pieces.


I must say though, I think my goal has been accomplished:  I wanted to have a visual display that not only allowed me easier access for projects, but that made me happy to look at it just as it sits.  I printed on cardstock and then put pretty vintage wallpaper on the back (which I forgot to photograph-bad blogger, no biscuit!), then edged with a little distress ink.  If I were to start over, I'd put the cardstock onto thin cardboard and then add the wallpaper to make it a little more substantial, but it turned out okay as is.


My houseful of boys just ignored my printing and pasting as long as food was tossed in their general direction on a fairly regular basis and the heaps of lace weren't in the footpath.  I've given up trying to get high fives or raves from Mr. FL on this kind of stuff.  He just isn't into it although I think he likes seeing me happy puttering and that counts for something.  Besides, I've got you girls (and even a guy or two) who think this all makes perfect sense, right?


On a related note, my shelves in my studio closet of dreams are installed and painted.  I think I had to do the lace project just to occupy my mind and hands so I wouldn't rush the paint drying process and end up with lots of pretty stuff stuck to my un-cured shelves.  On a very happy note for me, by the time I hit my next day off (day after tomorrow, but who's counting???), I should be able to start loading them up.  I am SOOOOO excited about that.  Do you think it's odd that I asked my husband after the last shelf was painted to join me in the closet for a glass of wine?  No, of course you don't think it's odd, cause you get me, right?  And if you don't, you'll humor me and keep it to yourself cause you guys are nice like that. We dragged a couple of chairs in and spent a little time talking before dinner that night and I was so happy and giddy over the closet (could have been the paint fumes I suppose...).    Well, I'm going to get my little post posted and link up to a party or two.  Why don't you come along?  Digressing again, but is anyone else having to force themselves to get off of Pinterest and actually do something?  Yikes, it's like virtual crack.  Does that make me a crack ho???  Oh well, this too shall settle down, I'm sure.

Until next time,

Happy Valentine's Day!  Since this is a day of love, I thought I'd share one of my little romantic collections with you.  Back in the day, a lady had a collection of handkerchiefs and once they were all ironed and ready to go, she wouldn't want them to get rumpled.  She no doubt had on hand a handkerchief keep that she could keep in the drawer to store her pretty hankies in.  As was the case, then and now, we ladies liked to make our functional items pretty, so you will find all manner of hanky keepers or holders if you keep your peepers open.  Many (most that I've seen) are constructed of silk in and out and fold over like a piece of paper with some type of either button closure or ribbon tie.  I have a few of these being the collector that I am, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you.


This romantic little couple is basically a transfer on silk.  I know how we do this nowadays, but I am not sure of the process they used back then to put the image on the silk.


This gorgeous one is embroidered with silk thread.  LOVE the basket of flowers, don't you?


This one is a combination of the transfer for the face and hand painting all around, including the beautiful pink flowers.


This fabulous pansy design is hand painted.  Pansies were a favorite of the Victorian era I believe since you see them pop up on all sorts of decorative items from china to silk to canvasas.


I hope you enjoyed seeing a few of my favorite things and I hope you all have a wonderful day with those you love, especially if there is a special someone in your life.  As a thank you to my blog readers and my great Etsy customers, I am offering a very SWEET discount of 30% off ANY ITEM in my Etsy shop, Elegant Farmhouse.  Now is the time to buy yourself a treat or a gift for someone else...just enter the discount code IHEARTYOU at checkout.  This deal is sweet, but just like that Valentine's candy, it will be gone fast as it expires in 24 hours.  Jump on it before noon Pacific time tomorrow , February 15th.  I will be sharing this post for White Wednesday; join me, won't you?

Until next time,

Friends of hers are now the proud owners of a c. 1897 Ralph Adams Cram house built in a Japanese style in Fall River, MA. Many photos and a write-up are at this site, but make sure you're sitting down, this one is waaaaay over the top!

The new owners are renovating bit by bit and uncovered some interesting paper which appears to be original to the house. The paper involved is not really wallpaper, as we shall see, but it's close enough to make me want to know more.

The story of the discovery is a bit complicated. The  image shown below is the third layer down.

The outermost (most recent) decorative layer on the walls of one room was a grasscloth put on all walls in the 1960's (?); underneath was an early hardboard/sheetrock substrate covered in this same fabric, but more faded. Taking off this hardboard, they found fabric in better shape (the image you see above). But, this paper/muslin sandwich was not mounted on a solid frame, but on sliding screens.

  

Essentially, (deep breath), it is a stretched muslin covered with laminate of a fine paper substrate topped with dried botanical elements and real butterfly wings surmounted by a fine silky gauze top layer. These muslin/paper decorations cover 8 screens that slide across compartments in a built-in wall cabinet. The dimensions of the screens are as follows:

4 screens  are 25.5” H x  14.5” W with 3/8” fold over the edges.

4 screens are 13 5/8” H x 7” W with 3/8” fold over the edges

The muslin has been stapled to a stretcher made from ¾” bars,  then the paper layer appears to have been glued to the muslin (along the edge there are staples under the paper).  The paper appears to be continuous and not made from sheets. It is tissue-thin and smooth, but scattered nondirectional embedded fibers  provide texture. The gauze corner folds which neatly cover the underlying  corner muslin/paper folds suggest  that the gauze is applied last.  Perhaps one was allowed to choose the gauze color and/or the materials to be sandwiched. The discolorations in the image above are corroded  “gold” metal flakes.  There are also silver-colored flakes that are not corroded and which retain a silver color and bright reflectance.  

 One panel has a decidedly greenish tint.

The butterflies are real wings with printed paper bodies.  The botanicals are pressed ginkos, ferns and 3-leaf clover leaves. The base is a fine lightweight muslin over which a tissue weight paper is adhered.  The butterflies and leave are pressed but not adhered to the paper.  The plain weave fine gauze, suggestive of silk, is lightly adhered over the specimen. 

The next photo shows the effect of transmitted light.

Alex speculates that "...it looks to me as though you would buy the base muslin and paper botanical as a unit and then choose the color of the gauze.  The muslin/paper/botanic unit looks as if it were pasted to the edges of the stretcher….along the lines of a traditional screen making technique….as it dries it stretches nice and tight.  It seems to have been applied separate from the gauze  as the gauze is shorter than the muslin and goes over the muslin corner folds. As a unit it is  stretched over a ¾” deep stretcher.  These are all inserts into sliding windows…..imagine a small screen (shoji screens)...

...the house is unusual  in Cram's work in that it is a residence and early in his career. I think that the paper must have been brushed with an adhesive (maybe an alum) and then the gauze must have been damp when applied and stretched over the surface as it does not seem to be stuck to the butterflies but is stuck to the paper around the butterflies, securing them in position. The wall cabinet has funky Japanese shelves for display of dust collectors or maybe ikebana. The original owners were American missionaries in Japan. When they came home they had this house crafted for them."

SO WHAT DO YOU SAY, PAPER PEOPLE?

Has anyone encountered these delicacies, or do you know about any sources to learn more about them?

Are there any ideas where the real stuff or interpretations of the real stuff can be found these days?

Thank you for your paper support!  

Bob@: